So… who ya got in the World Cup final?

I realize this isn’t Syracuse related, but you know what, folks? I have other interests, too. I like movies. I like television. I watch way too much Food Network… which, actually, kinda turns out to be Syracuse related since we all know Jim Boeheim does, too. And I love soccer.

You may have noticed that the World Cup has been taking place over the last few weeks, and after group stage and the round of 16, it culminates on Sunday with what, at first glance, would appear to be a bit of a David and Goliath situation with Croatia and France vying for the crown.

Of course, while Croatia is the underdog, they’ve proven they belong. After beating a scrappy (but, ultimately, overmatched) Russia team in the quarterfinals, they went to extra time and took advantage of a sloppy clearance by England, punching in the winning goal in the 109th minute.

But now they’ve got France, who enters as the favorite (getting -114 on the money line, while Croatia is +360) and has looked every bit the best team in the field. France is supremely talented and deep, featuring one of the best young players in the world in Kylian Mbappe, who has been truly spectacular at times during the run up to Sunday’s final.

That said, it’s easy to root for the underdog. Croatia has extremely talented players – Luka Modric may in fact be a wizard and plays for Real Madrid, for example – and the way they absolutely dominated England in the second half of yesterday’s match was fun to watch. If you’re a betting person, there’s still time to get a bet down (and you can sign up here if you’re feeling froggy) and cash in on one of the smallest countries in the entire World Cup. After all, this is a France team that very nearly lost to a young and inexperienced USA side in a lead up to the World Cup (when France had basically their full squad, in a match that ended as a draw).

So, who ya got in the World Cup? I’ve got a poll up on Twitter, so you can cast your vote before time runs out. Right now the majority of you think that it’ll be France. What do you think?

I know a bunch of you enjoy the World Cup (like me), so… the favorites, or the underdogs on Sunday?

Related

Jeff is a 2003 graduate of Syracuse University, and has been published on various websites including Cracked.com, Spike.com, TheSportster.com, Gunaxin.com, and TopTenz.net, among others. His work was featured in the New York Times bestselling book You Might Be a Zombie and Other Bad News. He's got a wife, and a toddler he's brainwashing to love Syracuse. Jeff's a pretty great guy, overall, and would never steal your car. Follow him on Twitter: @jekelish